Thursday, May 10, 2007
Sunday, May 06, 2007
NHL Playoffs: Conference Finals
1-3 in the second round, 7-5 overall.
Sabres in 7.
Ducks in 5.
That is all.
Sabres in 7.
Ducks in 5.
That is all.
Tuesday, April 17, 2007
NHL Playoffs: Conference Semi Finals
6-2 in my round one predictions.
(6) NY Rangers vs. (1) Buffalo: The Thrashers were the suckiest bunch of sucks that ever sucked in the first round. Buffalo won all 4 games against the Rangers, but three were one-goal games. I really like the Rangers as a potential dark horse in the finals. Lundqvist has been great, and they've been scoring a lot more as well. I didn't like how the Sabres looked against the Islanders...those 5 games didn't really look like playoff games. The Sabres should have blown them out in 4 games, even with DiPietro. I think with the advantage on special teams and goaltending, we're going to see an upset. Rangers in 7.
NYR #18 goals for vs. BUF #13 goals against
NYR #9 goals against vs. BUF #1 goals for
NYR #8 power play vs. BUF #20 penalty kill
NYR #12 penalty kill vs. BUF #17 power play
(4) Ottawa vs. (2) New Jersey: This is a tough call. Brodeur had kind of a rough start but things seem to be good now. I have no idea how the Senators goal scoring is going to go because the Penguins have no defence. Same thing with the Devils. And I don't care about the stats, Ray Emery is still a piece of shit. The Sens defence more than makes up for it though. Anyway, they stack up pretty close, so since New Jersey took the season series 3-1 I'll go with Devils in 6.
OTT #2 goals for vs. NJ #4 goals against
OTT #10 goals against vs. NJ #27 goals for
OTT #14 power play vs. NJ #4 penalty kill
OTT #9 penalty kill vs. NJ #16 power play
(5) San Jose vs. (1) Detroit: I liked the Sharks' "angry guy" thing against Nashville, it was very entertaining. I think the Sharks have a lot of momentum...they knocked off what a lot of people considered to be a Stanley Cup contender in only 5 games. I don't think the Wings will dominate the shot tally the same as in the last round because the Sharks' defence has been a little better than the Flames' recently. Nick Lidstrom against Joe Thornton will be pretty fun to watch. Detroit hasn't lost at home yet, but the Sharks are the best road team in the west. Also, the Sharks won the season series against the Wings 3-1, not too shabby. Sharks in 6.
SJ #6 goals for vs. DET #10 goals against
SJ #6 goals against vs. DET #2 goals for
SJ #2 power play vs. DET #21 penalty kill
SJ #14 penalty kill vs. DET #7 power play
(3) Vancouver vs. (2) Anaheim: I've said it before, I'll say it again...every team could use more Chris Pronger. The Ducks have what is most likely the best playoff goaltending tandem. Still, I have to give Luongo credit, he's by far the best player on the Canucks. Naslund and the Sedin sisters have been pretty quiet so far, and I don't think the Canucks will be able to score more goals against the Ducks. I gotta say, I wish I hadn't sold my purple Mighty Ducks jersey in grade 7 for 60 bucks. Ducks in 5, and reach the conference finals for the third time in four seasons. Quite good, really...it's almost New England Patriots good...
VAN #22 goals for vs. ANA #7 goals against
VAN #5 goals against vs. ANA #9 goals for
VAN #20 power play vs. ANA #5 penalty kill
VAN #1 penalty kill vs. ANA #3 power play
(6) NY Rangers vs. (1) Buffalo: The Thrashers were the suckiest bunch of sucks that ever sucked in the first round. Buffalo won all 4 games against the Rangers, but three were one-goal games. I really like the Rangers as a potential dark horse in the finals. Lundqvist has been great, and they've been scoring a lot more as well. I didn't like how the Sabres looked against the Islanders...those 5 games didn't really look like playoff games. The Sabres should have blown them out in 4 games, even with DiPietro. I think with the advantage on special teams and goaltending, we're going to see an upset. Rangers in 7.
NYR #18 goals for vs. BUF #13 goals against
NYR #9 goals against vs. BUF #1 goals for
NYR #8 power play vs. BUF #20 penalty kill
NYR #12 penalty kill vs. BUF #17 power play
(4) Ottawa vs. (2) New Jersey: This is a tough call. Brodeur had kind of a rough start but things seem to be good now. I have no idea how the Senators goal scoring is going to go because the Penguins have no defence. Same thing with the Devils. And I don't care about the stats, Ray Emery is still a piece of shit. The Sens defence more than makes up for it though. Anyway, they stack up pretty close, so since New Jersey took the season series 3-1 I'll go with Devils in 6.
OTT #2 goals for vs. NJ #4 goals against
OTT #10 goals against vs. NJ #27 goals for
OTT #14 power play vs. NJ #4 penalty kill
OTT #9 penalty kill vs. NJ #16 power play
(5) San Jose vs. (1) Detroit: I liked the Sharks' "angry guy" thing against Nashville, it was very entertaining. I think the Sharks have a lot of momentum...they knocked off what a lot of people considered to be a Stanley Cup contender in only 5 games. I don't think the Wings will dominate the shot tally the same as in the last round because the Sharks' defence has been a little better than the Flames' recently. Nick Lidstrom against Joe Thornton will be pretty fun to watch. Detroit hasn't lost at home yet, but the Sharks are the best road team in the west. Also, the Sharks won the season series against the Wings 3-1, not too shabby. Sharks in 6.
SJ #6 goals for vs. DET #10 goals against
SJ #6 goals against vs. DET #2 goals for
SJ #2 power play vs. DET #21 penalty kill
SJ #14 penalty kill vs. DET #7 power play
(3) Vancouver vs. (2) Anaheim: I've said it before, I'll say it again...every team could use more Chris Pronger. The Ducks have what is most likely the best playoff goaltending tandem. Still, I have to give Luongo credit, he's by far the best player on the Canucks. Naslund and the Sedin sisters have been pretty quiet so far, and I don't think the Canucks will be able to score more goals against the Ducks. I gotta say, I wish I hadn't sold my purple Mighty Ducks jersey in grade 7 for 60 bucks. Ducks in 5, and reach the conference finals for the third time in four seasons. Quite good, really...it's almost New England Patriots good...
VAN #22 goals for vs. ANA #7 goals against
VAN #5 goals against vs. ANA #9 goals for
VAN #20 power play vs. ANA #5 penalty kill
VAN #1 penalty kill vs. ANA #3 power play
Tuesday, April 10, 2007
NHL Playoffs: Conference Quarter Finals
Last year, I went 8-7 in my NHL playoff predictions so I'm trying to do better this year. I still ended up beating all the TSN experts except the monkey. This year in the East, I like the Sabres, and in the West, I like the Sharks, with the Sabres winning the Cup.
EASTERN CONFERENCE
(8) NY Islanders vs. (1) Buffalo: Buffalo came within a game of the finals last year, so not making it there again would be a major letdown. These are always dangerous series to predict...you have the Presidents Trophy winner with a ton of pressure to go all the way and the team that backed into the playoffs and is just happy to be there. But, since the Islanders have no Rick DiPietro and since they have MA Bergeron, I'll say Sabres in 4.
BUF #1 goals for vs. NYI #12 goals against
BUF #13 goals against vs. NYI #14 goals for
BUF #17 power play vs. NYI #18 penalty kill
BUF #20 penalty kill vs. NYI #12 power play
(7) Tampa Bay vs. (2) New Jersey: Crazy Lou fired Julien which is odd since the players seemed to like him. But, he gets the benefit of the doubt since it did work once before. The Lightning were horrible down the stretch, losing 9 of their last 20 games in regulation. They also made the playoffs despite being outscored. The Devils can't score goals, but I'm not about to bet against Brodeur in the playoffs. And who plays in goal for the Lightning? Does anyone know? Devils in 5.
TB #12 goals for vs. NJ #4 goals against
TB #24 goals against vs. NJ #27 goals for
TB #9 power play vs. NJ #4 penalty kill
TB #28 penalty kill vs. NJ #16 power play
(6) New York Rangers vs. (3) Atlanta: Southeast division wasn't too good this year, and it looked like Atlanta was just coasting through the last month trying to hold off the Lightning. Atlanta has scary special teams problems and I think it will be their downfall. This one is hard to predict because of Bob Hartley...he has made at least the conference finals in every one of his playoff appearances and led the 'Lanche to the 2001 Stanley Cup. But, Rangers in 6.
NYR #18 goals for vs. ATL #15 goals against
NYR #9 goals against vs. ATL #15 goals for
NYR #8 power play vs. ATL #26 penalty kill
NYR #12 penalty kill vs. ATL #23 power play
(5) Pittsburgh vs. (4) Ottawa: This is going to be an awful series. Ray Emery is a clown, the Penguins have no defence, and don't even get me started on Crosby. I guess experience will make the difference. I honestly don't know what else to say. I'm just not going to watch any of this one. Senators in 6.
PIT #4 goals for vs. OTT #10 goals against
PIT #14 goals against vs. OTT #2 goals for
PIT #5 power play vs. OTT #9 penalty kill
PIT #17 penalty kill vs. OTT #14 power play
WESTERN CONFERENCE
(8) Calgary vs. (1) Detroit
Playing Detroit in the early rounds has been a gift the last few seasons. The Wings were very soft in last year's playoffs and they will depend on Bertuzzi this year to give them the toughness they need. I think the Flames' record was held down by overtime and shootout losses and quite a few one-goal game losses especially on the road. Meanhile, the Wings record was probably inflated by playing Columbus, Chicago and St. Louis eight times. I'm concerned that the Flames' defence is going to vanish just like last year's series against the Ducks and that they've played Kiprusoff to much all season and he's going to run out of gas. But, unlike last year, the Flames can actually score goals 5-on-5, and luckily for them, the Wings power play is nowhere near what it used to be. Maybe I'm just spending too much time around people who seem to think that Kristian Huselius is a good hockey player, I don't know. Flames in 7. Unfortunately.
CGY #7 goals for vs. DET #2 goals against
CGY #11 goals against vs. DET #10 goals for
CGY #11 power play vs. DET #7 penalty kill
CGY #22 penalty kill vs. DET #21 power play
(7) Minnesota vs. (2) Anaheim: Anaheim's a great team, no doubt, but I'm going to haul out the "defence wins" cliche. The key for the Wild is to stay out of the penalty box since the Ducks scored the most goals in the league with the man advantage. I don't really know how the Wild are going to score their own goals...I'm thinking we're going to see a lot of 1-o games in this series. Wild in 5.
MIN #19 goals for vs. ANA #7 goals against
MIN #1 goals against vs. ANA #9 goals for
MIN #6 power play vs. ANA #5 penalty kill
MIN #2 penalty kill vs. ANA #3 power play
(6) Dallas vs. (3) Vancouver: This is looking like another good goalie battle. This one will depend on how far Luongo and the Sedin sisters are willing to carry the team. And while their Cloutier problem is finally gone, Vancouver could have a big problem scoring goals, especially at even strength. But good young goalies in their first playoffs have a tendency to take their teams on long playoff runs, so Canucks in 6.
DAL #21 goals for vs. VAN #5 goals against
DAL #3 goals against vs. VAN #22 goals for
DAL #7 power play vs. VAN #1 penalty kill
DAL #11 penalty kill vs. VAN #20 power play
(5) San Jose vs. (4) Nashville: This will be the most entertaining series for sure. Another case of a Central division team that might not be as good as their record. And seeing as how this exact same series happened in the first round last year, I expect to see the same end result, but the Predators will at least make a series out of it this time. Sharks in 7.
SJ #6 goals for vs. NSH #8 goals against
SJ #6 goals against vs. NSH #5 goals for
SJ #2 power play vs. NSH #3 penalty kill
SJ #14 penalty kill vs. NSH #18 power play
EASTERN CONFERENCE
(8) NY Islanders vs. (1) Buffalo: Buffalo came within a game of the finals last year, so not making it there again would be a major letdown. These are always dangerous series to predict...you have the Presidents Trophy winner with a ton of pressure to go all the way and the team that backed into the playoffs and is just happy to be there. But, since the Islanders have no Rick DiPietro and since they have MA Bergeron, I'll say Sabres in 4.
BUF #1 goals for vs. NYI #12 goals against
BUF #13 goals against vs. NYI #14 goals for
BUF #17 power play vs. NYI #18 penalty kill
BUF #20 penalty kill vs. NYI #12 power play
(7) Tampa Bay vs. (2) New Jersey: Crazy Lou fired Julien which is odd since the players seemed to like him. But, he gets the benefit of the doubt since it did work once before. The Lightning were horrible down the stretch, losing 9 of their last 20 games in regulation. They also made the playoffs despite being outscored. The Devils can't score goals, but I'm not about to bet against Brodeur in the playoffs. And who plays in goal for the Lightning? Does anyone know? Devils in 5.
TB #12 goals for vs. NJ #4 goals against
TB #24 goals against vs. NJ #27 goals for
TB #9 power play vs. NJ #4 penalty kill
TB #28 penalty kill vs. NJ #16 power play
(6) New York Rangers vs. (3) Atlanta: Southeast division wasn't too good this year, and it looked like Atlanta was just coasting through the last month trying to hold off the Lightning. Atlanta has scary special teams problems and I think it will be their downfall. This one is hard to predict because of Bob Hartley...he has made at least the conference finals in every one of his playoff appearances and led the 'Lanche to the 2001 Stanley Cup. But, Rangers in 6.
NYR #18 goals for vs. ATL #15 goals against
NYR #9 goals against vs. ATL #15 goals for
NYR #8 power play vs. ATL #26 penalty kill
NYR #12 penalty kill vs. ATL #23 power play
(5) Pittsburgh vs. (4) Ottawa: This is going to be an awful series. Ray Emery is a clown, the Penguins have no defence, and don't even get me started on Crosby. I guess experience will make the difference. I honestly don't know what else to say. I'm just not going to watch any of this one. Senators in 6.
PIT #4 goals for vs. OTT #10 goals against
PIT #14 goals against vs. OTT #2 goals for
PIT #5 power play vs. OTT #9 penalty kill
PIT #17 penalty kill vs. OTT #14 power play
WESTERN CONFERENCE
(8) Calgary vs. (1) Detroit
Playing Detroit in the early rounds has been a gift the last few seasons. The Wings were very soft in last year's playoffs and they will depend on Bertuzzi this year to give them the toughness they need. I think the Flames' record was held down by overtime and shootout losses and quite a few one-goal game losses especially on the road. Meanhile, the Wings record was probably inflated by playing Columbus, Chicago and St. Louis eight times. I'm concerned that the Flames' defence is going to vanish just like last year's series against the Ducks and that they've played Kiprusoff to much all season and he's going to run out of gas. But, unlike last year, the Flames can actually score goals 5-on-5, and luckily for them, the Wings power play is nowhere near what it used to be. Maybe I'm just spending too much time around people who seem to think that Kristian Huselius is a good hockey player, I don't know. Flames in 7. Unfortunately.
CGY #7 goals for vs. DET #2 goals against
CGY #11 goals against vs. DET #10 goals for
CGY #11 power play vs. DET #7 penalty kill
CGY #22 penalty kill vs. DET #21 power play
(7) Minnesota vs. (2) Anaheim: Anaheim's a great team, no doubt, but I'm going to haul out the "defence wins" cliche. The key for the Wild is to stay out of the penalty box since the Ducks scored the most goals in the league with the man advantage. I don't really know how the Wild are going to score their own goals...I'm thinking we're going to see a lot of 1-o games in this series. Wild in 5.
MIN #19 goals for vs. ANA #7 goals against
MIN #1 goals against vs. ANA #9 goals for
MIN #6 power play vs. ANA #5 penalty kill
MIN #2 penalty kill vs. ANA #3 power play
(6) Dallas vs. (3) Vancouver: This is looking like another good goalie battle. This one will depend on how far Luongo and the Sedin sisters are willing to carry the team. And while their Cloutier problem is finally gone, Vancouver could have a big problem scoring goals, especially at even strength. But good young goalies in their first playoffs have a tendency to take their teams on long playoff runs, so Canucks in 6.
DAL #21 goals for vs. VAN #5 goals against
DAL #3 goals against vs. VAN #22 goals for
DAL #7 power play vs. VAN #1 penalty kill
DAL #11 penalty kill vs. VAN #20 power play
(5) San Jose vs. (4) Nashville: This will be the most entertaining series for sure. Another case of a Central division team that might not be as good as their record. And seeing as how this exact same series happened in the first round last year, I expect to see the same end result, but the Predators will at least make a series out of it this time. Sharks in 7.
SJ #6 goals for vs. NSH #8 goals against
SJ #6 goals against vs. NSH #5 goals for
SJ #2 power play vs. NSH #3 penalty kill
SJ #14 penalty kill vs. NSH #18 power play
Wednesday, March 28, 2007
Remember the guy before the tailspin? Yeah, people liked that guy...
Here's a lame quiz, just because I haven't put anything up here in a while.
TEN YEARS AGO
How old were you? 12
Where did you go to school? Lawrence Grassi Middle School
Where did you work? Unemployed
Where did you live? My house
Where did you hang out? In Canmore at that age??? Home!
What was your hair style? Same as now. Short.
Did you wear glasses? Nopes.
Who were your best friends? Cody, Dillon, Taylor, Ben...short list. God, Canmore sucks ass!
How many tattoos did you have? At age 12? Are you kidding me?
How many piercings did you have? See above.
What car did you drive? My bike.
What was your worst fear? Not getting promoted to corporal. And it happened!
Had you driven yet? Nopes.
Had you been to a real party yet? I guess pop and chips parties don't count, eh?
Had your heart broken? Hell no!
Single/Taken/Married/Divorced/Bitter: Single.
FIVE YEARS AGO
How old were you? 17
Where did you go to school? Strathmore High School
Where did you work? Unemployed! YES!
Where did you live? My house
Where did you hang out? Mostly at the movies in Calgary
What was your hair style? Same as now. Short.
Did you wear glasses? Yup.
Who were your best friends? Dustin, Mick, Sarah, Jen, Jen, Peter, Chase, et al.
How many tattoos did you have? Self-mutilation's not my flava.
How many piercings did you have? See above.
What car did you drive? 1988 Ford Bronco. Best. Truck. Ever.
What was your worst fear? Not getting accepted into the army. And it happened too!!
Had you driven yet? Here there and everywhere.
Had you been to a real party yet? That New Year's party at my brother's wasn't just real...it was legendary
Had your heart broken? Nopes!
Single/Taken/Married/Divorced/Bitter: Taken.
MARCH 2007
How old are you?: 22
Where do you work? Labatt, but I'll probably be unemployed again soon due to my poor performance. Woohoo! 3 for 3!
Where do you live? In my parent's basement
Where do you hang out? The bar, Lister, or the movies. But mostly work.
How is your hair style? Short
Do you wear glasses? Contacts mostly
Who are your best friends? Dustin, Heather, Andre, Mick, Mick's entourage.
Do you talk to your old friends? Depends which old friends. And facebook doesn't count as talking to them.
How many piercings do you have? Self-mutilation
How many tattoos? See above
What kind of car do you have? 1988 Volkswagen Jetta. God I love that car.
What is your favorite band/group? STEVE WINWOOD
What is your biggest fear? I'm not so sure I should put something here, given how well the other two turned out!
Have you been arrested, if so how many times total? Nope
Has your heart been broken?: No...
Single/Taken/Married/Divorced/Bitter: BITTER!
TEN YEARS AGO
How old were you? 12
Where did you go to school? Lawrence Grassi Middle School
Where did you work? Unemployed
Where did you live? My house
Where did you hang out? In Canmore at that age??? Home!
What was your hair style? Same as now. Short.
Did you wear glasses? Nopes.
Who were your best friends? Cody, Dillon, Taylor, Ben...short list. God, Canmore sucks ass!
How many tattoos did you have? At age 12? Are you kidding me?
How many piercings did you have? See above.
What car did you drive? My bike.
What was your worst fear? Not getting promoted to corporal. And it happened!
Had you driven yet? Nopes.
Had you been to a real party yet? I guess pop and chips parties don't count, eh?
Had your heart broken? Hell no!
Single/Taken/Married/Divorced/Bitter: Single.
FIVE YEARS AGO
How old were you? 17
Where did you go to school? Strathmore High School
Where did you work? Unemployed! YES!
Where did you live? My house
Where did you hang out? Mostly at the movies in Calgary
What was your hair style? Same as now. Short.
Did you wear glasses? Yup.
Who were your best friends? Dustin, Mick, Sarah, Jen, Jen, Peter, Chase, et al.
How many tattoos did you have? Self-mutilation's not my flava.
How many piercings did you have? See above.
What car did you drive? 1988 Ford Bronco. Best. Truck. Ever.
What was your worst fear? Not getting accepted into the army. And it happened too!!
Had you driven yet? Here there and everywhere.
Had you been to a real party yet? That New Year's party at my brother's wasn't just real...it was legendary
Had your heart broken? Nopes!
Single/Taken/Married/Divorced/Bitter: Taken.
MARCH 2007
How old are you?: 22
Where do you work? Labatt, but I'll probably be unemployed again soon due to my poor performance. Woohoo! 3 for 3!
Where do you live? In my parent's basement
Where do you hang out? The bar, Lister, or the movies. But mostly work.
How is your hair style? Short
Do you wear glasses? Contacts mostly
Who are your best friends? Dustin, Heather, Andre, Mick, Mick's entourage.
Do you talk to your old friends? Depends which old friends. And facebook doesn't count as talking to them.
How many piercings do you have? Self-mutilation
How many tattoos? See above
What kind of car do you have? 1988 Volkswagen Jetta. God I love that car.
What is your favorite band/group? STEVE WINWOOD
What is your biggest fear? I'm not so sure I should put something here, given how well the other two turned out!
Have you been arrested, if so how many times total? Nope
Has your heart been broken?: No...
Single/Taken/Married/Divorced/Bitter: BITTER!
Saturday, March 03, 2007
In Defence of Kevin Lowe
Alright, so there's been a lot of bandwagon jumping and people saying they're not renewing their season tickets and some "Fire Kevin Lowe!" and all that stuff, so I just have this to say:
1) If Smyth had become a UFA in the summer, you would have griped about how Lowe let him walk away for nothing. If he signs with the Oilers in the summer, Lowe will have grabbed two decent forward prospects and a first round draft choice for next to nothing. Genius move. If not, well, they've got the prospects, the draft choice, and about $5.5 million in cap space that they otherwise would not have had.
2) With the salary cap in place, it's going to be really rare to see players play out their entire careers with one team. We see this with the NFL all the time. Get used to it.
3) Name one trade that Lowe has made that has not worked out in the best interests of the Oilers. Anyone? (The panicky Chris Pronger trade doesn't count.) Name one prospect that Lowe has traded that went on to become a star with another team. Anyone got a name? There was bitching about how Lowe traded away "the future of the Oilers blueline" Doug Lynch and Jeff Woywitka for old-balls 31 year old defenceman Chris Pronger and we all know how that turned out...Stanley Cup Finals appearance. There was bitching about how Lowe gave up too much to get Dwayne Roloson and that turned out the same way...Stanley Cup Finals appearance. You complained about losing Mike York to get Mike Peca. Peca was awesome in the playoffs. What has York done recently?
4) Heart and soul of the team...isn't that what some of you dummies said about Georges Laraque?
5) YES, the Oilers have packed it in for this season. NO, they wouldn't have made the playoffs had they kept Smyth. NO, you can't expect the team to make the playoffs every year. If anything, the team should have traded more vets so they could rebuild properly...which every professional sports team has done at one point or another, and the Oilers will have to do it as well to get something better than 8th or 9th place finishes every season. This is called "putting things into perspective."
So basically to everyone STILL crying out there...you're wrong, and Kevin Lowe will prove you wrong.
1) If Smyth had become a UFA in the summer, you would have griped about how Lowe let him walk away for nothing. If he signs with the Oilers in the summer, Lowe will have grabbed two decent forward prospects and a first round draft choice for next to nothing. Genius move. If not, well, they've got the prospects, the draft choice, and about $5.5 million in cap space that they otherwise would not have had.
2) With the salary cap in place, it's going to be really rare to see players play out their entire careers with one team. We see this with the NFL all the time. Get used to it.
3) Name one trade that Lowe has made that has not worked out in the best interests of the Oilers. Anyone? (The panicky Chris Pronger trade doesn't count.) Name one prospect that Lowe has traded that went on to become a star with another team. Anyone got a name? There was bitching about how Lowe traded away "the future of the Oilers blueline" Doug Lynch and Jeff Woywitka for old-balls 31 year old defenceman Chris Pronger and we all know how that turned out...Stanley Cup Finals appearance. There was bitching about how Lowe gave up too much to get Dwayne Roloson and that turned out the same way...Stanley Cup Finals appearance. You complained about losing Mike York to get Mike Peca. Peca was awesome in the playoffs. What has York done recently?
4) Heart and soul of the team...isn't that what some of you dummies said about Georges Laraque?
5) YES, the Oilers have packed it in for this season. NO, they wouldn't have made the playoffs had they kept Smyth. NO, you can't expect the team to make the playoffs every year. If anything, the team should have traded more vets so they could rebuild properly...which every professional sports team has done at one point or another, and the Oilers will have to do it as well to get something better than 8th or 9th place finishes every season. This is called "putting things into perspective."
So basically to everyone STILL crying out there...you're wrong, and Kevin Lowe will prove you wrong.
Thursday, February 01, 2007
NFL Playoffs: Super Bowl XLI
(3) Indianapolis vs. (1) Chicago: The last time these two teams faced each other, it was Week 11 of the 2004 season and the Colts won 41-10 in Chicago. But that hardly counts for anything. It was so long ago.
It's interesting that everyone's going on about how good Indy's rush defence is. Maybe it's that good because all three teams the Colts have faced in the playoffs gave up on the run and it proved to be their un-doing. The Chiefs had 17 rushing attempts, the Ravens had 20, and the Patriots had 24. All 4 teams that beat the Colts in the regular season did so because they were able to grind down the clock and keep the Colts offence off the field. Look at the games the Colts lost: the Cowboys had 36 run plays, Titans had 35, Jags had 42, and the Texans had 42.
...Which brings us to the Bears running game. They ran the ball 503 times this season for an average of 3.8 yards/attempt. That's a lot of attempts (5th in the league) but not a great average. But sometimes all a team has to do is run up the middle for no gain and everything will be fine. The Bears have the luxury of being able to do this and let the defence and special teams win the field position battle. Devin Hester will need to be better on punt and kick returns to give the Bears the advantage.
The Bears did little to contain the Saints' passing attack. Turnovers killed the Saints. And, in the Bears three losses this season, turnovers did them in as well. Since Indy is #22 in takeaways (see below) for the Bears to win all they have to do is protect the ball. It's very simple but easily forgotten in such a big game. Still, the Saints got some big plays on the Bears, and had they held onto the ball, the game could have been way different.
I'm reluctant to pick a dome team because there's only ever been one dome team to win the Super Bowl. The Bears do have a lot going for them in this game but I don't think it will be enough. Let's set the final score at Indianapolis 20, Chicago 17 with Vinateiri getting the game-winner late in the 4th. That means to bet against the spread. Having said that, Manning is well-known for choking in big games, so an outright Bears win wouldn't surprise me at all.
IND #3 total offence vs. CHI #5 total defence
IND #21 total defence vs. CHI #15 total offence
IND #2 scoring offence vs. CHI #3 scoring defence
IND #23 scoring defence vs. CHI #3 scoring offence
IND #18 rushing offence vs. CHI #6 rushing defence
IND #32 rushing defence vs. CHI #15 rushing offence
IND #2 passing offence vs. CHI #11 passing defence
IND #2 passing defence vs. CHI #14 passing offence
IND #22 takeaways vs. CHI #28 giveaways
IND #4 giveaways vs. CHI #1 takeaways
IND #13 punt returns vs. CHI #23 punt coverage
IND #31 punt coverage vs. CHI #2 punt returns
IND #7 kick returns vs. CHI #5 kick coverage
IND #30 kick coverage vs. CHI #8 kick returns
It's interesting that everyone's going on about how good Indy's rush defence is. Maybe it's that good because all three teams the Colts have faced in the playoffs gave up on the run and it proved to be their un-doing. The Chiefs had 17 rushing attempts, the Ravens had 20, and the Patriots had 24. All 4 teams that beat the Colts in the regular season did so because they were able to grind down the clock and keep the Colts offence off the field. Look at the games the Colts lost: the Cowboys had 36 run plays, Titans had 35, Jags had 42, and the Texans had 42.
...Which brings us to the Bears running game. They ran the ball 503 times this season for an average of 3.8 yards/attempt. That's a lot of attempts (5th in the league) but not a great average. But sometimes all a team has to do is run up the middle for no gain and everything will be fine. The Bears have the luxury of being able to do this and let the defence and special teams win the field position battle. Devin Hester will need to be better on punt and kick returns to give the Bears the advantage.
The Bears did little to contain the Saints' passing attack. Turnovers killed the Saints. And, in the Bears three losses this season, turnovers did them in as well. Since Indy is #22 in takeaways (see below) for the Bears to win all they have to do is protect the ball. It's very simple but easily forgotten in such a big game. Still, the Saints got some big plays on the Bears, and had they held onto the ball, the game could have been way different.
I'm reluctant to pick a dome team because there's only ever been one dome team to win the Super Bowl. The Bears do have a lot going for them in this game but I don't think it will be enough. Let's set the final score at Indianapolis 20, Chicago 17 with Vinateiri getting the game-winner late in the 4th. That means to bet against the spread. Having said that, Manning is well-known for choking in big games, so an outright Bears win wouldn't surprise me at all.
IND #3 total offence vs. CHI #5 total defence
IND #21 total defence vs. CHI #15 total offence
IND #2 scoring offence vs. CHI #3 scoring defence
IND #23 scoring defence vs. CHI #3 scoring offence
IND #18 rushing offence vs. CHI #6 rushing defence
IND #32 rushing defence vs. CHI #15 rushing offence
IND #2 passing offence vs. CHI #11 passing defence
IND #2 passing defence vs. CHI #14 passing offence
IND #22 takeaways vs. CHI #28 giveaways
IND #4 giveaways vs. CHI #1 takeaways
IND #13 punt returns vs. CHI #23 punt coverage
IND #31 punt coverage vs. CHI #2 punt returns
IND #7 kick returns vs. CHI #5 kick coverage
IND #30 kick coverage vs. CHI #8 kick returns
Sunday, January 21, 2007
AFC/NFC Championships (a.k.a. Fuck the Super Bowl)
These are the games without all the hype and good commercials and also when we determine which NFC team will get steamrolled in the Super Bowl.
(2) New Orleans vs. (1) Chicago: The last time these teams faced each other, the Bears won 20-17 at Tiger Stadium in a game where Aaron Brooks and Kyle Orton were terrible. So don't take too much from that, but it does concern me how close the game was. Anyway, the Bears shook off last year's loss to Carolina and won their first home playoff game in a long time, which means the pressure's off. That's bad considering how well Rex Grossman does with no pressure. I recall a meaningless Week 17 game against Green Bay in which Grossman scored a rating of 0. Applying the playoff formula (dome teams lose) should assure the Bears a win, but I don't have any reliable stats about how the Saints fare outdoors in January. I am already cringing thinking of Feb. 4 if the Saints win...it's going to sound like "Blah blah blah Hurricane Katrina, blah blah blah Reggie Bush, blah blah blah biggest surprise team BLAH BLAH BLAH!!!" Anyway, it's the playoffs, so defence wins! Bears 26, Saints 21.
NO #1 total offence vs. CHI #5 total defence
NO #11 total defence vs. CHI #15 total offence
NO #5 scoring offence vs. CHI #3 scoring defence
NO #13 scoring defence vs. CHI #3 scoring offence
NO #19 rushing offence vs. CHI #6 rushing defence
NO #23 rushing defence vs. CHI #15 rushing offence
NO #1 passing offence vs. CHI #11 passing defence
NO #3 passing defence vs. CHI #14 passing offence
NO #31 takeaways vs. CHI #28 giveaways
NO #6 giveaways vs. CHI #1 takeaways
NO #28 punt returns vs. CHI #23 punt coverage
NO #7 punt coverage vs. CHI #2 punt returns
NO #14 kick returns vs. CHI #5 kick coverage
NO #16 kick coverage vs. CHI #8 kick returns
Weather forecast at Chicago: Flurries, 32°F
(2) New Orleans vs. (1) Chicago: The last time these teams faced each other, the Bears won 20-17 at Tiger Stadium in a game where Aaron Brooks and Kyle Orton were terrible. So don't take too much from that, but it does concern me how close the game was. Anyway, the Bears shook off last year's loss to Carolina and won their first home playoff game in a long time, which means the pressure's off. That's bad considering how well Rex Grossman does with no pressure. I recall a meaningless Week 17 game against Green Bay in which Grossman scored a rating of 0. Applying the playoff formula (dome teams lose) should assure the Bears a win, but I don't have any reliable stats about how the Saints fare outdoors in January. I am already cringing thinking of Feb. 4 if the Saints win...it's going to sound like "Blah blah blah Hurricane Katrina, blah blah blah Reggie Bush, blah blah blah biggest surprise team BLAH BLAH BLAH!!!" Anyway, it's the playoffs, so defence wins! Bears 26, Saints 21.
NO #1 total offence vs. CHI #5 total defence
NO #11 total defence vs. CHI #15 total offence
NO #5 scoring offence vs. CHI #3 scoring defence
NO #13 scoring defence vs. CHI #3 scoring offence
NO #19 rushing offence vs. CHI #6 rushing defence
NO #23 rushing defence vs. CHI #15 rushing offence
NO #1 passing offence vs. CHI #11 passing defence
NO #3 passing defence vs. CHI #14 passing offence
NO #31 takeaways vs. CHI #28 giveaways
NO #6 giveaways vs. CHI #1 takeaways
NO #28 punt returns vs. CHI #23 punt coverage
NO #7 punt coverage vs. CHI #2 punt returns
NO #14 kick returns vs. CHI #5 kick coverage
NO #16 kick coverage vs. CHI #8 kick returns
Weather forecast at Chicago: Flurries, 32°F
(4) New England at (3) Indianapolis: This is what I like to see...no more #1 and #2 teams. This is what playoffs is all about. The last game between these two was very unusual. First, the Patriots lost at home (Colts 27 Pats 20 was the score,) Vinateiri honked a 37-yarder and a 46-yarder, and Brady threw 4 picks. I am still having a really hard time believing that Indy's defence is that good. I could blame the Ravens loss on poor blocking and poor coaching though. Baltimore seemed to quit as the game went on and the play-calling was rather preposterous. Did anyone get the feeling watching that San Diego game that the Patriots were resurrecting their dynasty? Cripes, I sure did watching that 4th quarter. I'll let the Brady man love continue. Patriots 20, Colts 17.
NE #11 total offence vs. IND #21 total defence
NE #6 total defence vs. IND #3 total offence
NE #18 scoring offence vs. IND #23 scoring defence
NE #2 scoring defence vs. IND #2 scoring offence
NE #12 rushing offence vs. IND #32 rushing defence
NE #5 rushing defence vs. IND #18 rushing offence
NE #12 passing offence vs. IND #2 passing defence
NE #12 passing defence vs. IND #2 passing offence
NE #4 takeaways vs. IND #4 giveaways
NE #17 giveaways vs. IND #22 takeaways
NE #3 punt returns vs. IND #31 punt coverage
NE #26 punt coverage vs. IND #13 punt returns
NE #1 kick returns vs. IND #30 kick coverage
NE #20 kick coverage vs. IND #7 kick returns
Saturday, January 13, 2007
NFL Playoffs - Divisional Round
3-1 last week. NFL Playoffs - Divisional Round:
(3) Indianapolis vs. (2) Baltimore: The last time these teams met, the Colts embarrassed the Ravens 24-7 in their 2005 season opener at the RCA Dome. It was the beginning of a 6-10 season for them. This is a completely different Ravens team though. I believe the Ravens are the teams that nobody wants to face in the playoffs. I'm not entirely convinced that the Colts can duplicate their performance on defence (they held the Chiefs to 44 rushing yards.) Plus, I'm thinking the home crowd is going to be relentless on the team that abandoned the city in '84. Ravens 14, Colts 10.
IND #3 total offence vs. BAL #1 total defence
IND #21 total defence vs. BAL #17 total offence
IND #2 scoring offence vs. BAL #1 scoring defence
IND #23 scoring defence vs. BAL #12 scoring offence
IND #18 rushing offence vs. BAL #2 rushing defence
IND #32 rushing defence vs. BAL #25 rushing offence
IND #2 passing offence vs. BAL #6 passing defence
IND #2 passing defence vs. BAL #11 passing offence
IND #22 takeaways vs. BAL #8 giveaways
IND #4 giveaways vs. BAL #2 takeaways
IND #13 punt returns vs. BAL #20 punt coverage
IND #31 punt coverage vs. BAL #24 punt returns
IND #7 kick returns vs. BAL #11 kick coverage
IND #30 kick coverage vs. BAL #11 kick returns
Weather forecast at Baltimore: Cloudy with showers, 42°F
(3) Philadelphia vs. (2) New Orleans: In Week 6, the Saints collected a 27-24 win on a last second field goal set up by an 16-play 8:26 drive. The Eagles could not stop the pass at all as Brees racked up 275 yards and 3 TDs through the air. Losing Lito Sheppard isn't going to make this any easier for them. I'm encouraged that the Eagles aren't as pass wacky as they once were. Last week, they called 37 pass plays and 27 run plays. However, the Saints will likely still control the time of possession and get the last possession and the win. Saints 38, Eagles 35.
PHI #2 total offence vs. NO #11 total defence
PHI #15 total defence vs. NO #1 total offence
PHI #6 scoring offence vs. NO #13 scoring defence
PHI #15 scoring defence vs. NO #5 scoring offence
PHI #11 rushing offence vs. NO #23 rushing defence
PHI #26 rushing defence vs. NO #19 rushing offence
PHI #3 passing offence vs. NO #3 passing defence
PHI #9 passing defence vs. NO #1 passing offence
PHI #14 takeaways vs. NO #6 giveaways
PHI #9 giveaways vs. NO #31 takeaways
PHI #10 punt returns vs. NO #7 punt coverage
PHI #21 punt coverage vs. NO #28 punt returns
PHI #28 kick returns vs. NO #16 kick coverage
PHI #24 kick coverage vs. NO #14 kick returns
(4) Seattle vs. (1) Chicago: The Seahawks visit to Soldier Field in Week 4 resulted in a 37-6 drubbing for their first loss. Hasselbeck and the running game were bruital, Rex Grossman threw 2 TDs and Thomas Jones rushed for 2 more. I've heard a lot about Rex Grossman's extremely poor play lately. It won't matter because the Seahawks are virtually out of their league in this one. The only reason they beat Dallas is because Mike Holmgren craps horseshoes and four-leaf clovers. The balmy 33°F temperature plays in their favour though. Bears 28, Seahawks 7.
SEA #19 total offence vs. CHI #5 total defence
SEA #19 total defence vs. CHI #15 total offence
SEA #14 scoring offence vs. CHI #3 scoring defence
SEA #19 scoring defence vs. CHI #3 scoring offence
SEA #14 rushing offence vs. CHI #6 rushing defence
SEA #22 rushing defence vs. CHI #15 rushing offence
SEA #20 passing offence vs. CHI #11 passing defence
SEA #16 passing defence vs. CHI #14 passing offence
SEA #21 takeaways vs. CHI #28 giveaways
SEA #27 giveaways vs. CHI #1 takeaways
SEA #15 punt returns vs. CHI #23 punt coverage
SEA #17 punt coverage vs. CHI #2 punt returns
SEA #18 kick returns vs. CHI #5 kick coverage
SEA #27 kick coverage vs. CHI #8 kick returns
Weather forecast at Chicago: Rain/snow, 33°F
(4) New England vs. (1) San Diego: The last time these two teams met, the Chargers ran away with it 41-17 There's a thing about San Diego...they have an awesome rushing offence and are almost immune to committing turnovers. When you look at the stats, the Patriots are actually a better team than the Chargers. Dare I give the "defence wins" cliche? I would, but the Chargers defence aren't slouches either. It'll be close. In fact, I'll bite on the upset. Tom Brady is 11-1 as a starter in the playoffs. Patriots 21, Chargers 17.
NE #11 total offence vs. SD #10 total defence
NE #6 total defence vs. SD #4 total offence
NE #18 scoring offence vs. SD #7 scoring defence
NE #2 scoring defence vs. SD #1 scoring offence
NE #12 rushing offence vs. SD #23 rushing defence
NE #5 rushing defence vs. SD #2 rushing offence
NE #12 passing offence vs. SD #13 passing defence
NE #12 passing defence vs. SD #16 passing offence
NE #4 takeaways vs. SD #1 giveaways
NE #17 giveaways vs. SD #15 takeaways
NE #3 punt returns vs. SD #15 punt coverage
NE #26 punt coverage vs. SD #17 punt returns
NE #1 kick returns vs. SD #12 kick coverage
NE #20 kick coverage vs. SD #3 kick returns
Weather forecast at San Diego: Sunny, 59°F
Next week:
New England at Baltimore
New Orleans at Chicago
(3) Indianapolis vs. (2) Baltimore: The last time these teams met, the Colts embarrassed the Ravens 24-7 in their 2005 season opener at the RCA Dome. It was the beginning of a 6-10 season for them. This is a completely different Ravens team though. I believe the Ravens are the teams that nobody wants to face in the playoffs. I'm not entirely convinced that the Colts can duplicate their performance on defence (they held the Chiefs to 44 rushing yards.) Plus, I'm thinking the home crowd is going to be relentless on the team that abandoned the city in '84. Ravens 14, Colts 10.
IND #3 total offence vs. BAL #1 total defence
IND #21 total defence vs. BAL #17 total offence
IND #2 scoring offence vs. BAL #1 scoring defence
IND #23 scoring defence vs. BAL #12 scoring offence
IND #18 rushing offence vs. BAL #2 rushing defence
IND #32 rushing defence vs. BAL #25 rushing offence
IND #2 passing offence vs. BAL #6 passing defence
IND #2 passing defence vs. BAL #11 passing offence
IND #22 takeaways vs. BAL #8 giveaways
IND #4 giveaways vs. BAL #2 takeaways
IND #13 punt returns vs. BAL #20 punt coverage
IND #31 punt coverage vs. BAL #24 punt returns
IND #7 kick returns vs. BAL #11 kick coverage
IND #30 kick coverage vs. BAL #11 kick returns
Weather forecast at Baltimore: Cloudy with showers, 42°F
(3) Philadelphia vs. (2) New Orleans: In Week 6, the Saints collected a 27-24 win on a last second field goal set up by an 16-play 8:26 drive. The Eagles could not stop the pass at all as Brees racked up 275 yards and 3 TDs through the air. Losing Lito Sheppard isn't going to make this any easier for them. I'm encouraged that the Eagles aren't as pass wacky as they once were. Last week, they called 37 pass plays and 27 run plays. However, the Saints will likely still control the time of possession and get the last possession and the win. Saints 38, Eagles 35.
PHI #2 total offence vs. NO #11 total defence
PHI #15 total defence vs. NO #1 total offence
PHI #6 scoring offence vs. NO #13 scoring defence
PHI #15 scoring defence vs. NO #5 scoring offence
PHI #11 rushing offence vs. NO #23 rushing defence
PHI #26 rushing defence vs. NO #19 rushing offence
PHI #3 passing offence vs. NO #3 passing defence
PHI #9 passing defence vs. NO #1 passing offence
PHI #14 takeaways vs. NO #6 giveaways
PHI #9 giveaways vs. NO #31 takeaways
PHI #10 punt returns vs. NO #7 punt coverage
PHI #21 punt coverage vs. NO #28 punt returns
PHI #28 kick returns vs. NO #16 kick coverage
PHI #24 kick coverage vs. NO #14 kick returns
(4) Seattle vs. (1) Chicago: The Seahawks visit to Soldier Field in Week 4 resulted in a 37-6 drubbing for their first loss. Hasselbeck and the running game were bruital, Rex Grossman threw 2 TDs and Thomas Jones rushed for 2 more. I've heard a lot about Rex Grossman's extremely poor play lately. It won't matter because the Seahawks are virtually out of their league in this one. The only reason they beat Dallas is because Mike Holmgren craps horseshoes and four-leaf clovers. The balmy 33°F temperature plays in their favour though. Bears 28, Seahawks 7.
SEA #19 total offence vs. CHI #5 total defence
SEA #19 total defence vs. CHI #15 total offence
SEA #14 scoring offence vs. CHI #3 scoring defence
SEA #19 scoring defence vs. CHI #3 scoring offence
SEA #14 rushing offence vs. CHI #6 rushing defence
SEA #22 rushing defence vs. CHI #15 rushing offence
SEA #20 passing offence vs. CHI #11 passing defence
SEA #16 passing defence vs. CHI #14 passing offence
SEA #21 takeaways vs. CHI #28 giveaways
SEA #27 giveaways vs. CHI #1 takeaways
SEA #15 punt returns vs. CHI #23 punt coverage
SEA #17 punt coverage vs. CHI #2 punt returns
SEA #18 kick returns vs. CHI #5 kick coverage
SEA #27 kick coverage vs. CHI #8 kick returns
Weather forecast at Chicago: Rain/snow, 33°F
(4) New England vs. (1) San Diego: The last time these two teams met, the Chargers ran away with it 41-17 There's a thing about San Diego...they have an awesome rushing offence and are almost immune to committing turnovers. When you look at the stats, the Patriots are actually a better team than the Chargers. Dare I give the "defence wins" cliche? I would, but the Chargers defence aren't slouches either. It'll be close. In fact, I'll bite on the upset. Tom Brady is 11-1 as a starter in the playoffs. Patriots 21, Chargers 17.
NE #11 total offence vs. SD #10 total defence
NE #6 total defence vs. SD #4 total offence
NE #18 scoring offence vs. SD #7 scoring defence
NE #2 scoring defence vs. SD #1 scoring offence
NE #12 rushing offence vs. SD #23 rushing defence
NE #5 rushing defence vs. SD #2 rushing offence
NE #12 passing offence vs. SD #13 passing defence
NE #12 passing defence vs. SD #16 passing offence
NE #4 takeaways vs. SD #1 giveaways
NE #17 giveaways vs. SD #15 takeaways
NE #3 punt returns vs. SD #15 punt coverage
NE #26 punt coverage vs. SD #17 punt returns
NE #1 kick returns vs. SD #12 kick coverage
NE #20 kick coverage vs. SD #3 kick returns
Weather forecast at San Diego: Sunny, 59°F
Next week:
New England at Baltimore
New Orleans at Chicago
Monday, January 08, 2007
Atlanta Falcons Year End Report
Another NFL regular season is in the books and once again, the Falcons went home early while 8 teams are left competing for football's ultimate prize.
Meet Bobby Petrino. Well, that was fast. I don't question bringing in a college coach, even after the Nick Saban fiasco, but Rich McKay wanted somebody with head coaching experience. This is good...they'll throughout that West Coast offence garbage and maybe keep running that college option that worked so well early in the season.
Here's some of the good, the bad, and the ugly of the 2006 season:
THE GOOD
Alge Crumpler: The bright spot in the team's passing game. Algernon made the Pro Bowl and caught a career high 8 touchdown passes (and dropped several others, the game in Week 3 against the Saints springs to mind...) and had 38 first downs. If only he were a better blocker...
Jerious Norwood: A 3rd round steal in this year's draft as he (and many other rookie RBs for that matter) managed to outrush Reggie Bush. He had 633 yards for a 6.4 yard per carry average, which was the best in the league among RBs with 20 or more carries. He's the future of this position for the Falcons.
Tyson Clabo: On an O-Line that doesn't know the meaning of the word "blocking," Clabo is the exception. After being undrafted and bounced around on several teams' practice squads and the waiver wire, he earned a starting position this season. Good on ya.
Lawyer Milloy: A veteran presence in the secondary, he surpassed expectations. He has sharp football instincts, and as strong safety, he did his job as he was in on virtually every play and made clean tackles. Unfortunately, he was held without an interception. Hey, at least it worked out way better than the last time the Bills and Falcons did business.
THE BAD
DeAngelo Hall: I know that it's bizarre to put a Pro Bowl selection down here, but he only made it because of 4 INTs and a TD. Those plays were the exception...the norm is for D'Lo to get lit up, give up on plays, and attempt to intercept hail mary bombs when a good DB would simply knock it down. He's a selfish player and deserved every drop of the face-spitting TO gave him.
Edgerton Hartwell: Exposed as a fraud. Jamal Lewis made him look so good in Baltimore that he was signed to the Falcons to a big contract to be a run-stopping middle linebacker. He ended up being injured half the season, and in his absence, Keith Brooking did a better job in the middle than he did. Time to move Jordan Beck up to this position.
Roddy White: Roddy showed flashes of brilliance like in the Dallas game where he racked up 102 receiving yards, but he had a bad case of the dropsies this year. It was bad enough for Jim Mora to sit Roddy's ass on the bench and have Ashley Lelie start in his place (who didn't do a lot better.) As a former first round draft pick in his second year, I expected to see a lot more development than this.
Michael Koenen: I'm kind of reaching with this one, but Koenen was so bad in the placekicking department that the front office had to thaw out Morten "Old Balls" Anderson to take over those duties. After hammering a 58 yarder for the franchise record last season, Koenen missed on tries of 50, 50, 30, 36, 30, and 40 in the first two games of the season. However, I might as well give the blame to the field goal/punt unit as a whole because two of those tries were actually blocked, and the next game, the Saints managed to block a punt for a TD. Three blocks in three games? Come on guys, one is too many for the season!
THE UGLY
Matt Lehr: A friggin' turnstile, and a steroid monkey to boot. When you play left guard, and the quarterback is left hand, which way is he going to go? Maybe to the left? Which means it might be a good idea to block somebody instead of watching as Vick gets sacked yet again. And if you're going to cheat and break the substance abuse policy, you should at least have something to show for it!
Jim Mora: This is more of an afterthought, but he still deserves a mention. His antics both on and off the field were an embarrassment to himself and to the team. I scarcely need to mention that squeaky-clean owner Arthur Blank had no patience for that shit. After going 11-5, he posted an 8-8 season despite starting 6-2 and took the team to 7-9 this year despite starting 5-2.
Michael Vick: He had a career high for passing TDs (20) and rushing yards (1076). So what's the deal? As pictured above, Vick's antics created a sideshow for the Falcons and an unnecessary distraction. The Ron Mexico scandal put him on thin ice, and now that ice has broken. It's time fans stopped saying "All he does is win games," because he no longer does.
Meet Bobby Petrino. Well, that was fast. I don't question bringing in a college coach, even after the Nick Saban fiasco, but Rich McKay wanted somebody with head coaching experience. This is good...they'll throughout that West Coast offence garbage and maybe keep running that college option that worked so well early in the season.
Here's some of the good, the bad, and the ugly of the 2006 season:
THE GOODAlge Crumpler: The bright spot in the team's passing game. Algernon made the Pro Bowl and caught a career high 8 touchdown passes (and dropped several others, the game in Week 3 against the Saints springs to mind...) and had 38 first downs. If only he were a better blocker...
Jerious Norwood: A 3rd round steal in this year's draft as he (and many other rookie RBs for that matter) managed to outrush Reggie Bush. He had 633 yards for a 6.4 yard per carry average, which was the best in the league among RBs with 20 or more carries. He's the future of this position for the Falcons.
Tyson Clabo: On an O-Line that doesn't know the meaning of the word "blocking," Clabo is the exception. After being undrafted and bounced around on several teams' practice squads and the waiver wire, he earned a starting position this season. Good on ya.
Lawyer Milloy: A veteran presence in the secondary, he surpassed expectations. He has sharp football instincts, and as strong safety, he did his job as he was in on virtually every play and made clean tackles. Unfortunately, he was held without an interception. Hey, at least it worked out way better than the last time the Bills and Falcons did business.
THE BAD
DeAngelo Hall: I know that it's bizarre to put a Pro Bowl selection down here, but he only made it because of 4 INTs and a TD. Those plays were the exception...the norm is for D'Lo to get lit up, give up on plays, and attempt to intercept hail mary bombs when a good DB would simply knock it down. He's a selfish player and deserved every drop of the face-spitting TO gave him.
Edgerton Hartwell: Exposed as a fraud. Jamal Lewis made him look so good in Baltimore that he was signed to the Falcons to a big contract to be a run-stopping middle linebacker. He ended up being injured half the season, and in his absence, Keith Brooking did a better job in the middle than he did. Time to move Jordan Beck up to this position.
Roddy White: Roddy showed flashes of brilliance like in the Dallas game where he racked up 102 receiving yards, but he had a bad case of the dropsies this year. It was bad enough for Jim Mora to sit Roddy's ass on the bench and have Ashley Lelie start in his place (who didn't do a lot better.) As a former first round draft pick in his second year, I expected to see a lot more development than this.
Michael Koenen: I'm kind of reaching with this one, but Koenen was so bad in the placekicking department that the front office had to thaw out Morten "Old Balls" Anderson to take over those duties. After hammering a 58 yarder for the franchise record last season, Koenen missed on tries of 50, 50, 30, 36, 30, and 40 in the first two games of the season. However, I might as well give the blame to the field goal/punt unit as a whole because two of those tries were actually blocked, and the next game, the Saints managed to block a punt for a TD. Three blocks in three games? Come on guys, one is too many for the season!
THE UGLY
Matt Lehr: A friggin' turnstile, and a steroid monkey to boot. When you play left guard, and the quarterback is left hand, which way is he going to go? Maybe to the left? Which means it might be a good idea to block somebody instead of watching as Vick gets sacked yet again. And if you're going to cheat and break the substance abuse policy, you should at least have something to show for it!
Jim Mora: This is more of an afterthought, but he still deserves a mention. His antics both on and off the field were an embarrassment to himself and to the team. I scarcely need to mention that squeaky-clean owner Arthur Blank had no patience for that shit. After going 11-5, he posted an 8-8 season despite starting 6-2 and took the team to 7-9 this year despite starting 5-2.
Michael Vick: He had a career high for passing TDs (20) and rushing yards (1076). So what's the deal? As pictured above, Vick's antics created a sideshow for the Falcons and an unnecessary distraction. The Ron Mexico scandal put him on thin ice, and now that ice has broken. It's time fans stopped saying "All he does is win games," because he no longer does.
Friday, January 05, 2007
NFL Playoffs: Wildcard Round
The early Super Bowl pick: Early in the season, I picked the Cowboys vs. Dolphins. I will go with the Eagles in the NFC, and I will go with the Chargers in the AFC, with the Chargers winning the big game in a rout.
(6) NY Giants vs. (3) Philadelphia: A closely matched game between division rivals. The season series was split between the two with the Giants winning at the Linc. It was especially frustrating for the Eagles because they flushed a 24-7 lead going into the 4th quarter. Not only that, but a personal foul by Trent Cole with 7 seconds left put the Giants into field goal range for the game-tying FG. The tables have turned since then; Jersey/A has no momentum, losing 2 of its last 8 and the Eagles have all the momentum, winning 5 in a row. I'll put this one on coaching: Fat Andy has had playoff success and Tom "Mr. Personality" Coughlin hasn't. And, don't look now, but the Eagles have something that resembles a running game. Eagles 27, Giants 21 in overtime.
NYG #14 total offence vs. PHI #15 total defence
NYG #25 total defence vs. PHI #2 total offence
NYG #11 scoring offence vs. PHI #15 scoring defence
NYG #24 scoring defence vs. PHI #6 scoring offence
NYG #7 rushing offence vs. PHI #26 rushing defence
NYG #14 rushing defence vs. PHI #11 rushing offence
NYG #19 passing offence vs. PHI #9 passing defence
NYG #28 passing defence vs. PHI #3 passing offence
NYG #17 takeaways vs. PHI #9 giveaways
NYG #18 giveaways vs. PHI #14 takeaways
NYG #16 punt returns vs. PHI #21 punt coverage
NYG #3 punt coverage vs. PHI #10 punt returns
NYG #30 kick returns vs. PHI #24 kick coverage
NYG #18 kick coverage vs. PHI #28 kick returns
Weather forecast at Philadelphia: Light rain, south wind at 5 km/h, 50°F
(5) Dallas vs. (4) Seattle: Dallas has skidded into the playoffs winning only one of their last three. Lucky for them, Seattle's skidding too. Well-coached teams have figured out how to beat Tony Romo. The two teams have identical records, with Dallas going 9-7 the hard way (against a GOOD division, that is.) It is irrational for me to pick Seattle since they are outmatched in almost every statistical category I listed below. The last meeting between these two at Qwest Field, as most of you will recall, involved a terrible decision to pass on 3rd and 7 with 14 seconds to go, game tied at 10. The result: interception, and Josh Brown's 50 yard figgie made the Seahawks 5-2. To add to the misery, Jose Baby Cortez had honked a 29 yard attempt wide left earlier and it ultimately cost him his roster spot. Much is being made of Seattle missing its two starting corners. I don't understand why. Trufant is overrated, Herndon just plain sucks, and beside, they have the second best free safety in the NFC (Ken Hamlin.) I guess it might have something to do with T.O. That said, a Cowboys win wouldn't surprise me at all...they were road warriors this season and the Seahawks faltered at home to lesser teams. Seahawks 23, Cowboys 20.
DAL #5 total offence vs. SEA #19 total defence
DAL #13 total defence vs. SEA #19 total offence
DAL #4 scoring offence vs. SEA #19 scoring defence
DAL #20 scoring defence vs. SEA #14 scoring offence
DAL #13 rushing offence vs. SEA #22 rushing defence
DAL #10 rushing defence vs. SEA #14 rushing offence
DAL #5 passing offence vs. SEA #16 passing defence
DAL #24 passing defence vs. SEA #20 passing offence
DAL #9 takeaways vs. SEA #27 giveaways
DAL #21 giveaways vs. SEA #21 takeaways
DAL #21 punt returns vs. SEA #17 punt coverage
DAL #25 punt coverage vs. SEA #15 punt returns
DAL #9 kick returns vs. SEA #27 kick coverage
DAL #2 kick coverage vs. SEA #18 kick returns
Weather forecast at Seattle: Cloudy with showers, south wind at 5 km/h, 39°F
(6) Kansas City vs. (3) Indianapolis: I was surprised that the Chiefs were even in the playoff hunt last week. Indy had the last ranked rushing defence in the league, allowing all 16 of their opponents to rush for over 100 yards and allowed a franchise-worst 5.3 yard per carry average. The Chiefs and Larry Johnson will be able to exploit that to keep the clock on their side and keep the Colts' offence off the field. The Colts have honked out of the playoffs early for the past four years and have everything to lose. The Chiefs, on the other hand, were very lucky to make the playoffs and therefore have nothing to lose. Teams like that are always dangerous. The only thing that worries me is that the Colts were unbeaten at home this season, and the Chiefs are 0-3 at the RCA Dome. Chiefs 31, Colts 28.
KC #16 total offence vs. IND #21 total defence
KC #16 total defence vs. IND #3 total offence
KC #15 scoring offence vs. IND #23 scoring defence
KC #12 scoring defence vs. IND #2 scoring offence
KC #9 rushing offence vs. IND #32 rushing defence
KC #18 rushing defence vs. IND #18 rushing offence
KC #22 passing offence vs. IND #2 passing defence
KC #18 passing defence vs. IND #2 passing offence
KC #11 takeaways vs. IND #4 giveaways
KC #15 giveaways vs. IND #22 takeaways
KC #23 punt returns vs. IND #31 punt coverage
KC #14 punt coverage vs. IND #13 punt returns
KC #24 kick returns vs. IND #30 kick coverage
KC #22 kick coverage vs. IND #7 kick returns
Weather forecast at Indianapolis: They play indoors...
(5) NY Jets vs. (4) New England: I'm sorry, but Jersey/B is a pretender. When you beat Miami 13-10 in a sleeper and beat Oakland 23-3 in the final two weeks, that qualifies as backing into the playoffs. Still, I love a playoff game between division rivals. The Jets won at Gillette Stadium earlier this season in a pretty fantastic 17-14 game that saw both offenses working out of the no huddle quite a bit. But the bottom line is that the Patriots become a different team when the post-season rolls around...every year I predict they'll lose and every year they prove me wrong. Patriots 20, Jersey/B 10.
NYJ #25 total offence vs. NE #6 total defence
NYJ #20 total defence vs. NE #11 total offence
NYJ #7 scoring offence vs. NE #2 scoring defence
NYJ #6 scoring defence vs. NE #18 scoring offence
NYJ #20 rushing offence vs. NE #5 rushing defence
NYJ #24 rushing defence vs. NE #12 rushing offence
NYJ #17 passing offence vs. NE #12 passing defence
NYJ #14 passing defence vs. NE #12 passing offence
NYJ #24 takeaways vs. NE #17 giveaways
NYJ #12 giveaways vs. NE #4 takeaways
NYJ #19 punt returns vs. NE #26 punt coverage
NYJ #9 punt coverage vs. NE #3 punt returns
NYJ #5 kick returns vs. NE #20 kick coverage
NYJ #9 kick coverage vs. NE #1 kick returns
Weather forecast at Foxborough: Sunny, 46°F
Alrighty then, next week we have some fantastic looking games:
Seattle at Chicago
Philadelphia at New Orleans
New England at Baltimore
Kansas City at San Diego
(6) NY Giants vs. (3) Philadelphia: A closely matched game between division rivals. The season series was split between the two with the Giants winning at the Linc. It was especially frustrating for the Eagles because they flushed a 24-7 lead going into the 4th quarter. Not only that, but a personal foul by Trent Cole with 7 seconds left put the Giants into field goal range for the game-tying FG. The tables have turned since then; Jersey/A has no momentum, losing 2 of its last 8 and the Eagles have all the momentum, winning 5 in a row. I'll put this one on coaching: Fat Andy has had playoff success and Tom "Mr. Personality" Coughlin hasn't. And, don't look now, but the Eagles have something that resembles a running game. Eagles 27, Giants 21 in overtime.
NYG #14 total offence vs. PHI #15 total defence
NYG #25 total defence vs. PHI #2 total offence
NYG #11 scoring offence vs. PHI #15 scoring defence
NYG #24 scoring defence vs. PHI #6 scoring offence
NYG #7 rushing offence vs. PHI #26 rushing defence
NYG #14 rushing defence vs. PHI #11 rushing offence
NYG #19 passing offence vs. PHI #9 passing defence
NYG #28 passing defence vs. PHI #3 passing offence
NYG #17 takeaways vs. PHI #9 giveaways
NYG #18 giveaways vs. PHI #14 takeaways
NYG #16 punt returns vs. PHI #21 punt coverage
NYG #3 punt coverage vs. PHI #10 punt returns
NYG #30 kick returns vs. PHI #24 kick coverage
NYG #18 kick coverage vs. PHI #28 kick returns
Weather forecast at Philadelphia: Light rain, south wind at 5 km/h, 50°F
(5) Dallas vs. (4) Seattle: Dallas has skidded into the playoffs winning only one of their last three. Lucky for them, Seattle's skidding too. Well-coached teams have figured out how to beat Tony Romo. The two teams have identical records, with Dallas going 9-7 the hard way (against a GOOD division, that is.) It is irrational for me to pick Seattle since they are outmatched in almost every statistical category I listed below. The last meeting between these two at Qwest Field, as most of you will recall, involved a terrible decision to pass on 3rd and 7 with 14 seconds to go, game tied at 10. The result: interception, and Josh Brown's 50 yard figgie made the Seahawks 5-2. To add to the misery, Jose Baby Cortez had honked a 29 yard attempt wide left earlier and it ultimately cost him his roster spot. Much is being made of Seattle missing its two starting corners. I don't understand why. Trufant is overrated, Herndon just plain sucks, and beside, they have the second best free safety in the NFC (Ken Hamlin.) I guess it might have something to do with T.O. That said, a Cowboys win wouldn't surprise me at all...they were road warriors this season and the Seahawks faltered at home to lesser teams. Seahawks 23, Cowboys 20.
DAL #5 total offence vs. SEA #19 total defence
DAL #13 total defence vs. SEA #19 total offence
DAL #4 scoring offence vs. SEA #19 scoring defence
DAL #20 scoring defence vs. SEA #14 scoring offence
DAL #13 rushing offence vs. SEA #22 rushing defence
DAL #10 rushing defence vs. SEA #14 rushing offence
DAL #5 passing offence vs. SEA #16 passing defence
DAL #24 passing defence vs. SEA #20 passing offence
DAL #9 takeaways vs. SEA #27 giveaways
DAL #21 giveaways vs. SEA #21 takeaways
DAL #21 punt returns vs. SEA #17 punt coverage
DAL #25 punt coverage vs. SEA #15 punt returns
DAL #9 kick returns vs. SEA #27 kick coverage
DAL #2 kick coverage vs. SEA #18 kick returns
Weather forecast at Seattle: Cloudy with showers, south wind at 5 km/h, 39°F
(6) Kansas City vs. (3) Indianapolis: I was surprised that the Chiefs were even in the playoff hunt last week. Indy had the last ranked rushing defence in the league, allowing all 16 of their opponents to rush for over 100 yards and allowed a franchise-worst 5.3 yard per carry average. The Chiefs and Larry Johnson will be able to exploit that to keep the clock on their side and keep the Colts' offence off the field. The Colts have honked out of the playoffs early for the past four years and have everything to lose. The Chiefs, on the other hand, were very lucky to make the playoffs and therefore have nothing to lose. Teams like that are always dangerous. The only thing that worries me is that the Colts were unbeaten at home this season, and the Chiefs are 0-3 at the RCA Dome. Chiefs 31, Colts 28.
KC #16 total offence vs. IND #21 total defence
KC #16 total defence vs. IND #3 total offence
KC #15 scoring offence vs. IND #23 scoring defence
KC #12 scoring defence vs. IND #2 scoring offence
KC #9 rushing offence vs. IND #32 rushing defence
KC #18 rushing defence vs. IND #18 rushing offence
KC #22 passing offence vs. IND #2 passing defence
KC #18 passing defence vs. IND #2 passing offence
KC #11 takeaways vs. IND #4 giveaways
KC #15 giveaways vs. IND #22 takeaways
KC #23 punt returns vs. IND #31 punt coverage
KC #14 punt coverage vs. IND #13 punt returns
KC #24 kick returns vs. IND #30 kick coverage
KC #22 kick coverage vs. IND #7 kick returns
Weather forecast at Indianapolis: They play indoors...
(5) NY Jets vs. (4) New England: I'm sorry, but Jersey/B is a pretender. When you beat Miami 13-10 in a sleeper and beat Oakland 23-3 in the final two weeks, that qualifies as backing into the playoffs. Still, I love a playoff game between division rivals. The Jets won at Gillette Stadium earlier this season in a pretty fantastic 17-14 game that saw both offenses working out of the no huddle quite a bit. But the bottom line is that the Patriots become a different team when the post-season rolls around...every year I predict they'll lose and every year they prove me wrong. Patriots 20, Jersey/B 10.
NYJ #25 total offence vs. NE #6 total defence
NYJ #20 total defence vs. NE #11 total offence
NYJ #7 scoring offence vs. NE #2 scoring defence
NYJ #6 scoring defence vs. NE #18 scoring offence
NYJ #20 rushing offence vs. NE #5 rushing defence
NYJ #24 rushing defence vs. NE #12 rushing offence
NYJ #17 passing offence vs. NE #12 passing defence
NYJ #14 passing defence vs. NE #12 passing offence
NYJ #24 takeaways vs. NE #17 giveaways
NYJ #12 giveaways vs. NE #4 takeaways
NYJ #19 punt returns vs. NE #26 punt coverage
NYJ #9 punt coverage vs. NE #3 punt returns
NYJ #5 kick returns vs. NE #20 kick coverage
NYJ #9 kick coverage vs. NE #1 kick returns
Weather forecast at Foxborough: Sunny, 46°F
Alrighty then, next week we have some fantastic looking games:
Seattle at Chicago
Philadelphia at New Orleans
New England at Baltimore
Kansas City at San Diego
Sunday, December 03, 2006
Go Stelmach (Part 4)
This should be the last post on this blog on the subject of politics until the next election. I will get back to posting about movies and which coaches in professional sports need to be fired.
Earlier, I mentioned the importance of MLAs getting their constituents out to vote for the candidate they're supporting. You Can't Teach That will now evaluate all MLAs who stood behind a candidate. I will do this by finding out how many votes they were able to get for their candidate in their own ridings and what percent of the vote they were able to get.
Stelmach's Supporters:
Ed Stelmach: 4156 votes (89.5%)
Ray Danyluk: 2496 votes (82.6%)
Pearl Calahasen: 891 votes (70.9%)
Lloyd Snelgrove: 1231 votes (66.4%)
Iris Evans: 1493 votes (64.4%)
Ivan Strang: 481 votes (63.4%)
Hector Goudreau: 581 votes (59.2%)
Luke Ouellette: 1385 votes (58.1%)
Fred Lindsay: 909 votes (56.7%)
Doug Horner: 1056 votes (55.3%)
LeRoy Johnson: 985 votes (50.6%)
Dave Hancock: 1909 votes (47.0%)
Lyle Oberg: 1012 votes (46.7%)
Mel Knight: 570 votes (43.8%)
Mark Norris: 919 votes (41.9%)*
Guy Boutilier: 306 votes (36.6%)
George Groeneveld: 901 votes (34.3%)
Carol Haley: 373 votes (18.4%)
*For the purposes of this comparison, the riding used for Mark Norris was Edmonton - McClung.
I'm not really worried about our two amigos from Edmonton because Hancock's auto dialer called me twice. I'm pretty sure he did all he could. Another thing is that they were working against Stephen Mandel's Dinning endorsement.
Dinning's Supporters:
Shiraz Shariff: 1831 votes (86.8%)
Moe Amery: 1247 votes (77.2%)
Harvey Cenaiko: 953 votes (73.5%)
Yvonne Fritz: 840 votes (70.5%)
Len Webber: 897 votes (57.5%)
Wayne Cao: 374 votes (56.8%)
Ron Liepert: 1564 votes (56.7%)
Gary Mar: 696 votes (56.6%)
Ron Stevens: 981 votes (54.7%)
Dave Rodney: 993 votes (53.9%)
Heather Forsyth: 988 votes (53.6%)
Alana DeLong: 903 votes (52.5%)
Richard Magnus: 573 votes (50.3%)
Cindy Ady: 809 votes (50.0%)
Denis Herard: 631 votes (49.9%)
Thomas Lukaszuk: 901 votes (49.6%)
Neil Brown: 497 votes (48.5%)
Art Johnston: 673 votes (48.1%)
Greg Melchin: 950 votes (46.9%)
Janis Tarchuk: 653 votes (46.6%)
Gene Zwozdesky: 608 votes (44.5%)
George VanderBurg: 676 votes (41.5%)
Clint Dunford: 542 votes (39.5%)
Rob Renner: 486 votes (37.3%)
Gord Graydon: 505 votes (35.3%)
Frank Oberle: 336 votes (34.6%)
Mary Anne Jablonski: 392 votes (31.3%)
David Coutts: 643 votes (28.7%)
Richard Marz: 680 votes (26.8%)
Len Mitzel: 284 votes (26.8%)
George Rogers: 489 votes (23.9%)
Rob Lougheed: 536 votes (22.5%)
Ken Kowalski: 366 votes (21.2%)
Ty Lund: 239 votes (20.8%)
Ray Prins: 474 votes (19.9%)
Doug Griffiths: 229 votes (16.0%)
Barry McFarland: 382 votes (15.2%)
Mike Cardinal: 219 votes (13.5%)
Looks like Dinning's MLA endorsements couldn't get him past Morton in the rural constituencies.
Supportin' Morton:
Paul Hinman: 1302 votes (61.7%)
Ted Morton: 1367 (51.5%)
Hung Pham: 414 (40.6%)
It should be noted that Cardston - Taber - Warner was Morton's second biggest win...maybe MLA endorsements do matter.
Here are some more stats for you political junkies:
The Toast of Calgary: Jim Dinning won 19 Calgary constituencies and the advance poll by 50% or higher.
The Crust of Calgary: Ed Stelmach's best finish in Calgary was in Calgary - Varsity, with 21.2% of the vote.
The Most Improved Award: Stelmach went from 3.2% in Strathmore - Brooks to 47.6%.
The "We're All PC's Here" Award:
1. Fort Saskatchewan - Vegreville: 4642 ballots cast
2. Edmonton - Whitemud: 4058 ballots cast
3. Lac La Biche - St. Paul: 3022 ballots cast
Props to my home riding, St. Albert, which finished 10th.
The "Couldn't Possibly Care Less" Award:
1. Calgary - Fort - 659 ballots cast
2. West Yellowhead - 759 ballots cast
3. Fort McMurray - Wood Buffalo - 836 ballots cast
Note: Edmonton Advance Poll had a lower turnout than Fort Mac - Wood Buffalo. It could be because the first advance poll was such a mess that most people didn't try to go to this one.
Earlier, I mentioned the importance of MLAs getting their constituents out to vote for the candidate they're supporting. You Can't Teach That will now evaluate all MLAs who stood behind a candidate. I will do this by finding out how many votes they were able to get for their candidate in their own ridings and what percent of the vote they were able to get.
Stelmach's Supporters:
Ed Stelmach: 4156 votes (89.5%)
Ray Danyluk: 2496 votes (82.6%)
Pearl Calahasen: 891 votes (70.9%)
Lloyd Snelgrove: 1231 votes (66.4%)
Iris Evans: 1493 votes (64.4%)
Ivan Strang: 481 votes (63.4%)
Hector Goudreau: 581 votes (59.2%)
Luke Ouellette: 1385 votes (58.1%)
Fred Lindsay: 909 votes (56.7%)
Doug Horner: 1056 votes (55.3%)
LeRoy Johnson: 985 votes (50.6%)
Dave Hancock: 1909 votes (47.0%)
Lyle Oberg: 1012 votes (46.7%)
Mel Knight: 570 votes (43.8%)
Mark Norris: 919 votes (41.9%)*
Guy Boutilier: 306 votes (36.6%)
George Groeneveld: 901 votes (34.3%)
Carol Haley: 373 votes (18.4%)
*For the purposes of this comparison, the riding used for Mark Norris was Edmonton - McClung.
I'm not really worried about our two amigos from Edmonton because Hancock's auto dialer called me twice. I'm pretty sure he did all he could. Another thing is that they were working against Stephen Mandel's Dinning endorsement.
Dinning's Supporters:
Shiraz Shariff: 1831 votes (86.8%)
Moe Amery: 1247 votes (77.2%)
Harvey Cenaiko: 953 votes (73.5%)
Yvonne Fritz: 840 votes (70.5%)
Len Webber: 897 votes (57.5%)
Wayne Cao: 374 votes (56.8%)
Ron Liepert: 1564 votes (56.7%)
Gary Mar: 696 votes (56.6%)
Ron Stevens: 981 votes (54.7%)
Dave Rodney: 993 votes (53.9%)
Heather Forsyth: 988 votes (53.6%)
Alana DeLong: 903 votes (52.5%)
Richard Magnus: 573 votes (50.3%)
Cindy Ady: 809 votes (50.0%)
Denis Herard: 631 votes (49.9%)
Thomas Lukaszuk: 901 votes (49.6%)
Neil Brown: 497 votes (48.5%)
Art Johnston: 673 votes (48.1%)
Greg Melchin: 950 votes (46.9%)
Janis Tarchuk: 653 votes (46.6%)
Gene Zwozdesky: 608 votes (44.5%)
George VanderBurg: 676 votes (41.5%)
Clint Dunford: 542 votes (39.5%)
Rob Renner: 486 votes (37.3%)
Gord Graydon: 505 votes (35.3%)
Frank Oberle: 336 votes (34.6%)
Mary Anne Jablonski: 392 votes (31.3%)
David Coutts: 643 votes (28.7%)
Richard Marz: 680 votes (26.8%)
Len Mitzel: 284 votes (26.8%)
George Rogers: 489 votes (23.9%)
Rob Lougheed: 536 votes (22.5%)
Ken Kowalski: 366 votes (21.2%)
Ty Lund: 239 votes (20.8%)
Ray Prins: 474 votes (19.9%)
Doug Griffiths: 229 votes (16.0%)
Barry McFarland: 382 votes (15.2%)
Mike Cardinal: 219 votes (13.5%)
Looks like Dinning's MLA endorsements couldn't get him past Morton in the rural constituencies.
Supportin' Morton:
Paul Hinman: 1302 votes (61.7%)
Ted Morton: 1367 (51.5%)
Hung Pham: 414 (40.6%)
It should be noted that Cardston - Taber - Warner was Morton's second biggest win...maybe MLA endorsements do matter.
Here are some more stats for you political junkies:
The Toast of Calgary: Jim Dinning won 19 Calgary constituencies and the advance poll by 50% or higher.
The Crust of Calgary: Ed Stelmach's best finish in Calgary was in Calgary - Varsity, with 21.2% of the vote.
The Most Improved Award: Stelmach went from 3.2% in Strathmore - Brooks to 47.6%.
The "We're All PC's Here" Award:
1. Fort Saskatchewan - Vegreville: 4642 ballots cast
2. Edmonton - Whitemud: 4058 ballots cast
3. Lac La Biche - St. Paul: 3022 ballots cast
Props to my home riding, St. Albert, which finished 10th.
The "Couldn't Possibly Care Less" Award:
1. Calgary - Fort - 659 ballots cast
2. West Yellowhead - 759 ballots cast
3. Fort McMurray - Wood Buffalo - 836 ballots cast
Note: Edmonton Advance Poll had a lower turnout than Fort Mac - Wood Buffalo. It could be because the first advance poll was such a mess that most people didn't try to go to this one.
Saturday, December 02, 2006
Go Stelmach (Part 3)
WE WIN!!!!!!!
Unofficial results:
Ed Stelmach: 51,764 (35.9%)
Jim Dinning: 51,282 (35.6%)
Ted Morton: 40,976 (28.5%)
Morton is eliminated, then:
Ed Stelmach: 77,577 (58.3%)
Jim Dinning: 55,509 (41.7%)
Wow, my prediction sure was wrong. I never would have thought Stelmach would be leading after the first count. I guess Morton really tapped out all his support in the first ballot. The attacks that Dinning levelled at Morton was a gamble that didn't pay off due to Stelmach's massive #2 turnout on Morton's ballots. Stelmach's MLAs really came through for him while Dinning's sat on their hands. Charisma be damned; I think that somebody so different from Ralph Klein in personality is just what this province needs right now.
Go Stelmach (Part 4) will have a more detailed break down of the results once they're available, but I'm sure Anonymotron's analysis will be way better than mine anyway.
Take that, Jim Dinning's raw ambition! EDDY! EDDY! EDDY!
Go Stelmach (Part 2)
A fairly uneventful week of campaigning. Like I thought, Dinning and Morton swung at each other and Stelmach stayed out of it, and Hancock and Norris endorsed Stelmach. What I didn't count on was Oberg's endorsement of Stelmach. Whether those three can get their supporters to the polls is a whole other story, and I think a good chunk of them might stay home this weekend. But I don't really know...Dave Hancock's auto dialer has called me twice urging me to vote for Stelmach. I think Morton's "capital of northern Alberta" thing was a minor slip of the tongue that the media is blowing out of proportion and I don't think it will hurt his chances. I think that the Dinnites' claim that only 40% of their people bothered to vote is bunk, given that the voter turnout was right around what I expected. But with his large volunteer base, he's probably sold the most memberships this week.
The key to winning is going to be the MLA's supporting each candidate getting their people to the polls. And since Morton has the fewest MLAs on his team, he loses.
Revised Prediction:
Morton: 39.5%
Dinning: 33.9%
Stelmach: 26.6%
Stelmach is eliminated, then:
Dinning: 51.6%
Morton: 48.4%
The key to winning is going to be the MLA's supporting each candidate getting their people to the polls. And since Morton has the fewest MLAs on his team, he loses.
Revised Prediction:
Morton: 39.5%
Dinning: 33.9%
Stelmach: 26.6%
Stelmach is eliminated, then:
Dinning: 51.6%
Morton: 48.4%
Monday, November 27, 2006
ARE YOU KIDDING ME!!??
Playoffs!? Don't talk about playoffs! I just hope we can win a game, another game! Four game losing streak now! I can't take it anymore!! Jimmy, you are a worse coach than your father, and that is saying a hell of a lot. This is the man who builds up the hopes of Falcons fans worldwide only to fuck everything up in the last half of the season. Don't worry Jimmy, the Saskatchewan Roughriders are looking for a coach. But when you go, please take that retarded monkey skeleton of an offensive co-ordinator with you!
UPDATE: Sports writer par excellence Gregg Easterbrook had this to say:
"As the Falcons have dropped four straight, everyone's focusing on criticizing Michael Vick. What about all the odd coaching decisions made by Mora and his assistants? Vick wasn't the one who ordered himself to take seven-step drops on passes against New Orleans -- something he's never been good at, and which plays away from his strength, the sprint-out pass. (Sprint-outs keep Vick closer to the line and also simplify the field, requiring him to look at only half the coverage, not the entire coverage as in a deep dropback.) Trailing 14-3, Atlanta had third-and-goal on the Saints' 2, on a day the Falcons would rush for 281 yards and average 6.2 yards per rush. Just run the ball! It wasn't Vick who not only called a passing play but a seven-step drop play that required him to run backward to the New Orleans 10; sack, and Atlanta settles for a field goal. You're on the 2, why are you instructing your quarterback to run backward to the 10? Last season's incident in which Mora the Younger did not know that a tie would keep Atlanta alive for the playoffs, and was screaming into a cell phone on the sidelines as he sent in the wrong decisions knocking the Falcons out of the postseason, is hardly the only weird coaching by Mora. Plus, a good coach focuses the criticism on himself, away from his players, a la Bear Bryant. Time to look away from Vick and toward the Atlanta sideline.
Sunday, November 26, 2006
Go Stelmach
You Can't Teach That brings you a rare post on the subject of politics.
And then there were three:
Jim Dinning: 29,470 (30.17%)
Ted Morton: 25,614 (26.22%)
Ed Stelmach: 14,957 (15.31%)
Lyle Oberg: 11,638 (11.91%)
Dave Hancock: 7,595 (7.78%)
Mark Norris: 6,789 (6.95%)
Victor Doerksen: 873 (0.89%)
Gary McPherson: 744 (0.76%)
I expected Dinning and Norris' totals to be higher and Stelmach did better than I anticipated. This is a pleasant surprise since I've been a Stelmach supporter for the last couple of months.
Here's what I'm thinking:
-A northern alliance forms with Hancock, Norris and (for what it's worth) McPherson endorsing Stelmach. In fact, Hancock has already given Ed his blessing. I expect Doerksen will support Morton. Oberg could really go either way, but I suspect he'll go with Morton as well (he certainly wouldn't support Dinning...)
-The Dinning and Morton camps will fling crap at each other all week while Stelmach will mostly stay out of it and do the under the radar thing. This could give Ed a lot of second place votes.
-Morton's campaign has the momentum of a runaway freight train. Why is he so popular? Meanwhile, Dinning's continues to stall and continues to resemble Paul Martin's play it safe campaign. Stelmach picked up steam in the last couple of weeks, but I think he threw everything he had at making the second ballot. I'm not sure how much he has left. Dinning should still have plenty of funds.
Here's my early prediction for first place votes, which assumes the vote total from the first ballot remains the same:
Jim Dinning: 35.1%
Ted Morton: 33.6%
Ed Stelmach: 31.3%
Once the second place votes are counted:
Jim Dinning: 52.2%
Ted Morton: 47.8%
I will make a revised prediction late in the week that isn't based on so many assumptions. Let the games begin. Go Stelmach.
UPDATE: Fuck! Daveberta beat me to the Afghan Northern Alliance reference. I'll have to be clever some other time.
And then there were three:
Jim Dinning: 29,470 (30.17%)
Ted Morton: 25,614 (26.22%)
Ed Stelmach: 14,957 (15.31%)
Lyle Oberg: 11,638 (11.91%)
Dave Hancock: 7,595 (7.78%)
Mark Norris: 6,789 (6.95%)
Victor Doerksen: 873 (0.89%)
Gary McPherson: 744 (0.76%)
I expected Dinning and Norris' totals to be higher and Stelmach did better than I anticipated. This is a pleasant surprise since I've been a Stelmach supporter for the last couple of months.
Here's what I'm thinking:
-A northern alliance forms with Hancock, Norris and (for what it's worth) McPherson endorsing Stelmach. In fact, Hancock has already given Ed his blessing. I expect Doerksen will support Morton. Oberg could really go either way, but I suspect he'll go with Morton as well (he certainly wouldn't support Dinning...)
-The Dinning and Morton camps will fling crap at each other all week while Stelmach will mostly stay out of it and do the under the radar thing. This could give Ed a lot of second place votes.
-Morton's campaign has the momentum of a runaway freight train. Why is he so popular? Meanwhile, Dinning's continues to stall and continues to resemble Paul Martin's play it safe campaign. Stelmach picked up steam in the last couple of weeks, but I think he threw everything he had at making the second ballot. I'm not sure how much he has left. Dinning should still have plenty of funds.
Here's my early prediction for first place votes, which assumes the vote total from the first ballot remains the same:
Jim Dinning: 35.1%
Ted Morton: 33.6%
Ed Stelmach: 31.3%
Once the second place votes are counted:
Jim Dinning: 52.2%
Ted Morton: 47.8%
I will make a revised prediction late in the week that isn't based on so many assumptions. Let the games begin. Go Stelmach.
UPDATE: Fuck! Daveberta beat me to the Afghan Northern Alliance reference. I'll have to be clever some other time.
Sunday, November 19, 2006
Spontaneity
It was 12:15 PM on Saturday. My parents were bugging me about something, (I wasn't really paying attention) my work angst hit an all-time high on Friday, and I was dreading Convocation. So I pulled up my MSN list, clicked on Blobra's name, said "see you in 4 hours" and took off to Calgary. I hadn't been there since July. When we got there, we picked up 24 beers and proceeded to get drunk as fuck. Other events included ending up in Strathmore for dinner at Blobra's mom's house and going to some house party at 2 AM. Unfortunately, I left my fucking camera at home. And then in the morning, I vowed to quit drinking forever and then went home.
The best road trips are the spontaneous ones.
The best road trips are the spontaneous ones.
Saturday, November 11, 2006
Big Movie Update
I watched some of these such a long time ago that they're out of the theater already. Warning: May contain traces of spoilers and/or plot ending details.
ON THE BIG SCREEN:
Trailer Park Boys: Trailer Park Boys plays like an overlong TV episode. The writers forgot that anything can happen in a TV-based movie, yet they didn't set one toe outside the boundaries of the TV series (except for the frontal nudity.) They also strayed from the "mockumentary" style that the show is filmed in, which made certain elements of the story feel far-fetched and ridiculous. Sometimes, the show is even funnier because the camera guy ducks when there are shots fired and sometimes, crew or equipment are visible (all done intentionally, of course.) Also, there are numerous places where the movie storyline is not synchronized with the TV storyline (i.e. Bubbles' original shed was destroyed by Ricky in a fire and it made no mention of Ricky and Lucy's first wedding) and I consider that a slap to the faces of the show's longtime fans.
The Departed: This is a great spy vs. spy movie where the suspense keeps building. You hardly even notice it's 2 hours and 45 minutes, unlike The Aviator which had some lulls. I was quite surprised to see Jack Nicholson cast instead of Bobby DeNiro, because Bobby would have fit the role quite well, and Jack at age 75 is new to the gangster genre. Nevertheless, he put on a pretty good performance, as did DiCaprio (but not as good as Gangs of NY, or Aviator.) I felt Damon's performance lagged behind the other leads, but that's to be expected. Now I have to go see the Hong Kong version.
Jackass Number Two: Not a movie. Again, more of an overlong TV episode. Of course, the movie has its advantages...the stunts are grosser and/or more expensive and elaborate, and they're allowed to say fuck without having to bleep it out. It also contains more Dave England than the first movie, which is a huge plus. If you were a fan of the first movie, I'd say this one is about on par. It's not much funnier, but it is grosser.
Little Miss Sunshine: I was quite reluctant to see a movie called Little Miss Sunshine, but it came very highly recommended to me from three people with very different tastes in movies. The story itself is not all that original...consider it "The Royal Tenenbaums meets I Heart Huckabees", but the writers still do a wonderful job of putting it all together, and the acting was superb. The way they tied the story in with Proust was just...wow. I think a lot of families can relate in some ways, and some claim to be even more dysfunctional. People who watch movies with me know that movies about midlife crisis get an automatic pass, but the situation with Dwayne really hit home for me. Probably the best movie I've seen all year.
Flyboys: The one major complaint I have about Flyboys is that I could have written it. The story was very weak...there were no surprises because anyone who wasn't born yesterday knew exactly how the next scene was going to go. Also, my hard and fast rule is that filmmakers should not use CGI where they can avoid it. Nearly all of the flying sequences were CGI (but quite well done.) The love story they threw in was very lame, and all the characters were too flat to be in a movie about war heroes.
Flags Of Our Fathers: I was surprised by this one. I hate Paul Haggis and Clint Eastwood (as a director) so much that I almost didn't go. I expected it to be about the Battle of Iwo Jima with some kind of controversial political agenda. I thought they'd ruin it by tying it to euthanasia, like they did with Million Dollar Baby. Thankfully, there was none of that. What you see is what you get. It was very true to the historical facts and even delivered a pretty good theme about war propaganda. Thumbs up all around, especially to Adam Beach who was spectacular as Drunken Ira Hayes. Give him Best Supporting Actor right now.
On Deck: Casino Royale, Bobby, Let's Go To Prison, 10 Items Or Less, The Good Shepherd, Borat
IN THE DVD PLAYER:
Akeelah And The Bee: Yikes. I can see why Oprah would like this movie. It is no different from the "underdog" stories that have been flooding Hollywood for years. Larry Fishburne almost single-handedly saves this movie, as he was quite good. But the tie at the end was just way too cheesy for my liking. I've seen the national spelling bee on ESPN and those kids are more competitive than any professional athlete I've ever seen and would never settle for that.
Cars: A lot of people pass on animated films because of their simplistic writing intended for younger and/or simpler audiences, but to do so is to miss out on some truly great works (Wallace and Grommit, Finding Nemo, South Park, etc.) This one depicts anthropomorphic cars and is very Doc Hollywood-esque. Pixar has given us some great films...having said that, if you take away A Bug's Life, this one is probably the worst. It contains all the cliche themes of a great children's film...the importance of friendship, good sportsmanship, and they throw in a love story for good measure. Still, it has its moments. Made me laugh to beat the band...parts, anyway...
Lucky Number Slevin: What a pleasant surprise this one was. It incorporated plenty of film noir elements and even made a direct reference to North by Northwest in the film. I had to watch the ending twice just so I could put all the pieces together. I also thought it was quite a coincidence that Ben Kingsley got snuffed the exact same way that he did in House of Sand and Fog. Another sad example of a great film that won't even get a sniff at the Oscars.
Poseidon: One of those "spectacle" movies with dazzling special effects and little else. And another example of a remake falling well short of the original. I think it just goes to show how water travel is so much more dangerous than air travel. Right? Right?
The Sentinel: I never sleep on airplanes. The first time I slept on an airplane was when I blew five bucks to watch this movie on Westjet. So that means there's something seriously wrong with it since it was supposed to be an action flick. The ending isn't all that surprising, and the film is entirely dependent on the ending grabbing the audience by the balls. Very disappointing.
24: Season Three: Last season, 24 focused on a nuclear weapon...in season three, a biological weapon. Now they just need a chemical weapon and they've nailed the big three (and are officially out of ideas as far as I'm concerned.) I think that Nina showing up to buy the virus was pretty convenient, and the whole "Jack Bauer in Mexico" thing was rather silly. I don't blame Palmer for being so pissed off at them for hatching that hair-brained scheme.
24: Season Four: Instead of following the format of the previous three seasons (two big storylines) this one had chunklets of about five or six storylines which made it seem too far-fetched to be a terrorist plot. They don't know that the more complicated the plan gets, the greater the chance of something getting fucked up. Marwan escaped so many times that it made CTU look like a dumb bunch of fucks. Overall, I'd say better than season three.
United 93: I hesitated to see this one because I had heard it was critical of the FAA. It's filmed in an unusual way...it reminded me of a reality show and the events took place in real time (Sept. 11 would have made for a good season of 24, yes?) It didn't give a thought to character development, which was a big plus, because it was totally irrelevant to the story (unlike World Trade Centre where the characters were relevant, but poorly developed all the same.)
V For Vendetta: I wish the Wachowskis would simply sell their ideas to the studios rather than trying to write them themselves. This had potential to be a really great movie. It was good...really good, but not great. It had good characters and an interesting setting, but it was a little light on the theme..."fascism bad." They could have done a lot more with this. And they've learned nothing from The Matrix...they attempted a romantic side story in this one too and fell flat on their faces again.
ON THE BIG SCREEN:
Trailer Park Boys: Trailer Park Boys plays like an overlong TV episode. The writers forgot that anything can happen in a TV-based movie, yet they didn't set one toe outside the boundaries of the TV series (except for the frontal nudity.) They also strayed from the "mockumentary" style that the show is filmed in, which made certain elements of the story feel far-fetched and ridiculous. Sometimes, the show is even funnier because the camera guy ducks when there are shots fired and sometimes, crew or equipment are visible (all done intentionally, of course.) Also, there are numerous places where the movie storyline is not synchronized with the TV storyline (i.e. Bubbles' original shed was destroyed by Ricky in a fire and it made no mention of Ricky and Lucy's first wedding) and I consider that a slap to the faces of the show's longtime fans.
The Departed: This is a great spy vs. spy movie where the suspense keeps building. You hardly even notice it's 2 hours and 45 minutes, unlike The Aviator which had some lulls. I was quite surprised to see Jack Nicholson cast instead of Bobby DeNiro, because Bobby would have fit the role quite well, and Jack at age 75 is new to the gangster genre. Nevertheless, he put on a pretty good performance, as did DiCaprio (but not as good as Gangs of NY, or Aviator.) I felt Damon's performance lagged behind the other leads, but that's to be expected. Now I have to go see the Hong Kong version.
Jackass Number Two: Not a movie. Again, more of an overlong TV episode. Of course, the movie has its advantages...the stunts are grosser and/or more expensive and elaborate, and they're allowed to say fuck without having to bleep it out. It also contains more Dave England than the first movie, which is a huge plus. If you were a fan of the first movie, I'd say this one is about on par. It's not much funnier, but it is grosser.
Little Miss Sunshine: I was quite reluctant to see a movie called Little Miss Sunshine, but it came very highly recommended to me from three people with very different tastes in movies. The story itself is not all that original...consider it "The Royal Tenenbaums meets I Heart Huckabees", but the writers still do a wonderful job of putting it all together, and the acting was superb. The way they tied the story in with Proust was just...wow. I think a lot of families can relate in some ways, and some claim to be even more dysfunctional. People who watch movies with me know that movies about midlife crisis get an automatic pass, but the situation with Dwayne really hit home for me. Probably the best movie I've seen all year.
Flyboys: The one major complaint I have about Flyboys is that I could have written it. The story was very weak...there were no surprises because anyone who wasn't born yesterday knew exactly how the next scene was going to go. Also, my hard and fast rule is that filmmakers should not use CGI where they can avoid it. Nearly all of the flying sequences were CGI (but quite well done.) The love story they threw in was very lame, and all the characters were too flat to be in a movie about war heroes.
Flags Of Our Fathers: I was surprised by this one. I hate Paul Haggis and Clint Eastwood (as a director) so much that I almost didn't go. I expected it to be about the Battle of Iwo Jima with some kind of controversial political agenda. I thought they'd ruin it by tying it to euthanasia, like they did with Million Dollar Baby. Thankfully, there was none of that. What you see is what you get. It was very true to the historical facts and even delivered a pretty good theme about war propaganda. Thumbs up all around, especially to Adam Beach who was spectacular as Drunken Ira Hayes. Give him Best Supporting Actor right now.
On Deck: Casino Royale, Bobby, Let's Go To Prison, 10 Items Or Less, The Good Shepherd, Borat
IN THE DVD PLAYER:
Akeelah And The Bee: Yikes. I can see why Oprah would like this movie. It is no different from the "underdog" stories that have been flooding Hollywood for years. Larry Fishburne almost single-handedly saves this movie, as he was quite good. But the tie at the end was just way too cheesy for my liking. I've seen the national spelling bee on ESPN and those kids are more competitive than any professional athlete I've ever seen and would never settle for that.
Cars: A lot of people pass on animated films because of their simplistic writing intended for younger and/or simpler audiences, but to do so is to miss out on some truly great works (Wallace and Grommit, Finding Nemo, South Park, etc.) This one depicts anthropomorphic cars and is very Doc Hollywood-esque. Pixar has given us some great films...having said that, if you take away A Bug's Life, this one is probably the worst. It contains all the cliche themes of a great children's film...the importance of friendship, good sportsmanship, and they throw in a love story for good measure. Still, it has its moments. Made me laugh to beat the band...parts, anyway...
Lucky Number Slevin: What a pleasant surprise this one was. It incorporated plenty of film noir elements and even made a direct reference to North by Northwest in the film. I had to watch the ending twice just so I could put all the pieces together. I also thought it was quite a coincidence that Ben Kingsley got snuffed the exact same way that he did in House of Sand and Fog. Another sad example of a great film that won't even get a sniff at the Oscars.
Poseidon: One of those "spectacle" movies with dazzling special effects and little else. And another example of a remake falling well short of the original. I think it just goes to show how water travel is so much more dangerous than air travel. Right? Right?
The Sentinel: I never sleep on airplanes. The first time I slept on an airplane was when I blew five bucks to watch this movie on Westjet. So that means there's something seriously wrong with it since it was supposed to be an action flick. The ending isn't all that surprising, and the film is entirely dependent on the ending grabbing the audience by the balls. Very disappointing.
24: Season Three: Last season, 24 focused on a nuclear weapon...in season three, a biological weapon. Now they just need a chemical weapon and they've nailed the big three (and are officially out of ideas as far as I'm concerned.) I think that Nina showing up to buy the virus was pretty convenient, and the whole "Jack Bauer in Mexico" thing was rather silly. I don't blame Palmer for being so pissed off at them for hatching that hair-brained scheme.
24: Season Four: Instead of following the format of the previous three seasons (two big storylines) this one had chunklets of about five or six storylines which made it seem too far-fetched to be a terrorist plot. They don't know that the more complicated the plan gets, the greater the chance of something getting fucked up. Marwan escaped so many times that it made CTU look like a dumb bunch of fucks. Overall, I'd say better than season three.
United 93: I hesitated to see this one because I had heard it was critical of the FAA. It's filmed in an unusual way...it reminded me of a reality show and the events took place in real time (Sept. 11 would have made for a good season of 24, yes?) It didn't give a thought to character development, which was a big plus, because it was totally irrelevant to the story (unlike World Trade Centre where the characters were relevant, but poorly developed all the same.)
V For Vendetta: I wish the Wachowskis would simply sell their ideas to the studios rather than trying to write them themselves. This had potential to be a really great movie. It was good...really good, but not great. It had good characters and an interesting setting, but it was a little light on the theme..."fascism bad." They could have done a lot more with this. And they've learned nothing from The Matrix...they attempted a romantic side story in this one too and fell flat on their faces again.
Tuesday, October 31, 2006
Friday, October 06, 2006
We're #2! We're #2!
I was pleased that the Oilers didn't make a big production out of their second place banner. It was already raised before the game and was simply unveiled before the players came out. It didn't even make the broadcast of the game. The hockey gods, impressed by this modest display, awarded the Oilers the win. Contrast this to Calgary's second place banner raising, which saw them march out the Campbell Bowl and raise it in front of the players with fireworks and all that shit. The hockey gods were annoyed enough to give the Stars a 3-2 victory that night. Since 1999, the Oilers' 45 minute pregame ceremonies for player retirements and the Heritage Classic have angered the hockey gods so much that they would punish the Oilers with a losing streak following these displays.
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